ATHENS — Cyprus will resolve all technical issues necessary to join the Schengen free-travel zone by the end of this year, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.
Cyprus and Ireland, which have no land borders with other EU countries, are the only EU member states outside the Schengen area. Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the passport-free area on Jan. 1.
“We have addressed all political concerns regarding the cease-fire line and are now finalizing the technical details required for accession,” Christodoulides said during a conference in Nicosia late Friday.
He underlined the benefits Schengen membership would bring to Cyprus, particularly in tourism and investment. A dedicated team at the foreign ministry is overseeing the process, he said.
Cyprus has been a European Union member state since 2004. While Cypriots enjoy freedom of movement across the 27-nation bloc, the eastern Mediterranean island itself is not yet part of the Schengen area, which includes countries outside the EU.
But Cyprus is unique case as the island has been divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish-occupied north. If Cyprus joins Schengen without resolving this issue, the Green Line, currently a buffer zone, would become a hard external border of the EU, experts warn.
This shift would necessitate passport checks at crossing points, thus changing their status and potentially increasing tensions. EU officials have warned that full Schengen membership would require changes to the Green Line Regulation, which governs movement across the divided island.
An EU official was not immediately available to comment on Saturday.
Christodoulides also said that Cyprus is in the final stages of lifting the U.S. visa requirement for Cypriot travelers. A U.S. delegation is expected to visit Cyprus soon on the issue and announcements should follow.
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